By Seth Eggert, Editor
DARLINGTON, SC — Despite the contact that put him in the outside wall, AJ Allmendinger respects Ty Gibbs and sees the incident as a tough fight.
On lap 83 of the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway, Gibbs attempted to pass Allmendinger for a top 10 finish. SS No. 16 Action Industries, Allmendinger was sent into the outer wall. Gibbs’ rear bumper clipped the front fender of the Kaulig Racing driver’s car.
A few laps later, Allmendinger sent a message, proving he wasn’t going to take it. Although he didn’t have the speed, the veteran NASCAR Xfinity Series driver was frustrated that he collided. Allmendinger clipped Gibbs’ left rear bumper in Turn 4. The contact sent Gibbs drifting into the corner, clipping the outside wall. Then the duo evolved.
“It’s one of those things where he was under me and he tried to get away and I was still there,” Allmendinger explained. “I was pissed because it pushed me into the wall and he didn’t hit the wall, so I felt we had to even that. I made sure he hit the wall and then it was okay again, like he could have easily bumped into me when he was behind me and didn’t.
“Then when I was back in front of him there, I was next to him and I never touched him. It was just one of those things that frustrated me because I know that (Kaulig Racing) is struggling and I’m a little awkward at times trying to max it all out. But I was just like, man, he could have waited one more corner to finish clearing me. I just had to prove a point that I don’t wasn’t going to accept and we moved on.
In the end, Allmendinger considered the race between him and Gibbs to be a clean one. The Los Gatos, Calif. native has watched Gibbs’ development on and off the track. Both drivers are fighting for the regular season championship. Gibbs gained seven points via stage finishes over Allmendinger at Darlington, despite the Chevy Racing driver finishing third.
“At the end of the day, I felt like we fought cleanly after that,” Allmendinger admitted. “I have respect for Ty, the way he’s developed, obviously he’s super fast, but the way he’s developed from last year to the start of this year until ‘He is now, I love running against him. (The contact) was just a hard fight.
Third place is Allmendinger’s 12th top five this season. This is the 41st top five of his career in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Allmendinger continues to hold the points leader. He has a 51-point gap over Gibbs with two runs remaining in the regular season. Allmendinger is locked into the Xfinity Playoffs due to his three wins so far this season.
The next race in the Xfinity Series is the Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway on Saturday, September 10 at 3:00 p.m. ET on USA Network. The race will also be broadcast on Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Featured photo credit: Photo by NKP / NKP Photo.
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